I have been lucky enough to travel to many remote places in the world, interact with different cultures and learn a lot from them. Nevertheless, I must say I have experienced shockwaves of fear and trepidation at the sight of cracked and gapped skin, and even before I could recover from one, another came. How disappointing. And to my surprise, even the so-called civilized are experiencing the same skin issues! Perhaps we no longer comprehend the meaning of civilization. In this article, many arms of Neutriherbs will exhaustively discuss the concept of skin lipid barriers, and how to make it sturdy to keep your skin healthy and vibrant. Neutriherbs also has an array of affordable and quality skincare products to help you achieve this goal. So we will delve right away into the mechanisms of strengthening your skin lipid barriers, but to make sure we are all reading from the same page, we will navigate the basics of the skin lipid barriers together.

What is the skin lipid barrier?

Well, skin lipids might sound like a buzz word but it is quite a simple word. You may as well refer to it as a moisture barrier; lipid barriers are located in the Stratum Corneum region in our skin on the outermost part of the epidermis. It consists of layers of dead skin cells and lipids technically referred to as corneocytes – the dead layers of the skin.

Problems associated with poor or depleted skin lipid barriers

It is now common knowledge that every part of our bodies plays a major role in the constitution of the body or our physical being; skin lipid barriers are no exception. As the name suggests, they act as a hindrance to the infiltration of toxic or undesirable substances and chemicals into the body. However, its major role is to safeguard the skin against excessive TEWL – Trans-epidermal water loss, by establishing a reservoir of moisture in the epidermal layer. Therefore skin lipids serve as invaluable tools if skin fluid regulation and preventing dehydration.

How to fortify your skin lipid barriers

Before proceeding, it is crucial to understand the causes of skin lipid barrier depletion or damage. Stripping skin off its natural oils employing very harsh cleansers, medications for acne, and various acids cause skin lipid attenuation. With that being said, let’s discover the mechanisms of strengthening skin lipid barriers to curb related negative developments.

1. Practice moderate peeling/exfoliation

• Exfoliation, as you all know, is highly practiced to enable new glowing cells to grow, however, do not peel your skin excessively as that will rid your skin of the skin lipid barriers which function as a line of defence against TEWL as previously discussed.
• You can regulate exfoliation by not using abrasive acids, brushes with stiff bristles, and using liquid exfoliators.
• Do not exfoliate daily; perhaps do utmost, 3 rounds a week.
• Stop exfoliation if you notice signs of skin lipid deterioration until advised otherwise by medical practitioners.

2. Avoid extreme environmental conditions

Extremely cold or hot, and windy weather conditions can have devastating effects on lipid barriers. Since we cannot control nature, then you should apply relevant creams and ideal clothing to protect your skin.

3. Use lipid loving skincare products

Lipid-loving skincare products should contain essential fatty acids. Skin-loving skincare commodities will compatibly safeguard the skin against lipid barrier depletion. Additionally, you should maintain a high level of cleanliness of your brushes, pads, and any other equipment in your skincare arsenal.

4. Mater the terminologies or the names of skincare products

Naturally, often the gullible and the illiterate get squandered, so educate yourself on the types and names of skincare products to avoid incidences of applying flawed or toxic products.

5. Shun harsh cleansers

Finally, on our list, keep off from harsh cleansers because they make slice skin lipid barriers on use. Harsh cleansers contain sodium lauryl sulphate – SLS hence avoid it but instead use water, oil, and cream-containing cleansers. These five tips will help safeguard your skin’s lipid barriers. Embrace them!